Which? Renews Call For 9pm Watershed On HFSS Food Ads
Which? has once again called for a 9pm watershed on foods high in salt, sugar and fat, following research from the consumer watchdog that suggested children were still being exposed to these ads during ‘family’ programming.
The research reveals that more than half of the 20 programmes most watched by children under 10 are not covered by current rules.
Last month a report by the Advertising Association concluded that a pre-9pm watershed ban would be “a blunt instrument that would be disproportionate and unnecessary, given the new restrictions in place”.
The current restrictions, which were introduced in April (see Ofcom To Phase In HFSS Restrictions), ban ads for foods high in fat, salt or sugar from being shown in or around programmes aimed at, or which appeal to, the under 10s. However, the rules are based on the proportion of children watching a programme rather than the actual number.
Which? found that 12 out of the 20 programmes most popular with under 10s were not covered by the current rules. It looked at the viewing figures for ITV1, Channel 4 and Five, for two weeks in September.
The research found that products including Mars Planets, Kinder Bueno, Milky Way, Smarties and Twix are being advertised during the programmes with the most child viewers.
In January 2008 the current rules will be extended to programmes with a high proportion of viewers under the age of 16, which would mean that only two of the top 20 programmes would be covered.
Miranda Watson, Which? food campaigner, said: “The only way to shield children from TV ads for unhealthy foods is a 9pm watershed.
“There is no silver bullet in the fight against obesity but tougher restrictions on the way unhealthy foods are marketed to children will play an important role in helping parents to instil healthy eating habits in children.”
Earlier in the year, Which? released a report claiming the use of characters to promote high fat, salt and sugar foods undermines parental efforts to help children eat healthily, which drew criticism from the Advertising Association.
The AA said that the ‘Cartoon Heroes and Villains’ report, which warns that biscuits and other snacks are being promoted as ideal for school lunchboxes when in fact they are high in fat and sugar, was “out of date” and that the industry has already made moves to curb the practice.
Advertisers and media owners argued that they have made attempts to advertise in a more responsible manner, with restrictions introduced across media (see Which? Report Says Advertisers Still Pushing Junk Food On Children).
In July, ISBA published a new set of guidelines for its members’ websites concerning online food and drink ads (see ISBA Sets Out Guidelines For Online Junk Ads), whilst in April, CAP also enforced new rules that the advertisement of food and soft drinks should not encourage excessive consumption and should not use promotional offers in an ‘irresponsible’ way such as the use of characters of celebrities to promote products directly targeted a pre-school or primary school children (see New Food And Drink Ad Restrictions To Extend To Non-Broadcast).
Which?: www.which.co.uk